Return of Phil Robertson a win-win

By Dean Obeidallah

Updated 2028 GMT (0428 HKT) December 28, 2013

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – Jase, Si, Willie and Phil Robertson star in the A&E television series "Duck Dynasty." The popular reality show follows a Louisiana family that became rich through Duck Commander, a business making products for duck hunters.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – The Duck Commander crew works on transforming their warehouse into a "scarehouse" during a Halloween episode. Holding the chainsaw is Si Robertson, who founded the company along with his brother Phil, not pictured.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – Phil Robertson cuts meat during a recent "Duck Dynasty" episode. He was suspended by A&E in December 2013 after he made controversial remarks about gays and blacks in an interview with GQ magazine.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – Willie Robertson, one of Phil's sons, does yoga with his wife, Korie, to get ready for their high school reunion. Willie does much of the narrating on the show.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – The Robertsons watch as Sadie Robertson, Willie and Korie's daughter, walks in a New York fashion show in September 2013.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – Willie attends the Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2013.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – Jep Robertson, one of Willie's brothers and Phil's sons, is pushed along by Duck Commander employee Justin Martin.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – Willie and Si guest-star in the season premiere of the ABC show "Last Man Standing" in 2013.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – Jase, Si and Willie throw out the ceremonial first pitch before a Major League Baseball game in Detroit in September 2013.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – In a "Duck Dynasty" episode where the office air conditioning broke, Si tries to beat the heat by creating a pool in the back of his pickup truck.

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – Si, appearing on the show as an angry elf, tells children they're not going to get the gifts they ask for. He told one young girl, who asked for art supplies, that there's no money in being an artist.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – Phil, Si and Jase go dove hunting.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – Si takes one of his daily naps, surrounded by some Robertson family trophies.

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Photos:The stars of 'Duck Dynasty'

The stars of 'Duck Dynasty' – Phil takes his place at the head of the table. A family dinner is the typical scene that ends each episode.

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Story highlights

Right wins "Duck Dynasty" battle but losing war, Dean Obeidallah says

Marriage equality will be the law of the land in the future, he says

Vibrant, healthy debate is one reason our nation is exceptional, he says

"Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson is back on A&E after a short suspension over controversial remarks he made about gays and black people. While the right is congratulating itself on winning this battle, it's actually losing its war on marriage equality. But both developments are good for America.

What do I mean? Simple: While I completely disagree with Robertson's view on gays, he has the right -- which I defend -- to practice his faith and advocate his political and religious beliefs. The debate that erupted after his comments is healthy for our nation. If a person espouses views that others find offensive, they should be countered -- not silenced.

And the right losing its war on marriage equality is also good for our nation because we must eradicate discrimination in all forms. To those who don't understand (or refuse to understand) how opposing marriage equality is discrimination, all you need to do is check out three court decisions announced, coincidentally enough, during the same time period that the Robertson controversy raged.

First, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled on December 19 that marriage equality would be the law of that state. The court declared that "barring individuals from marrying and depriving them of the rights, protections, and responsibilities of civil marriage solely because of their sexual orientation violates the Equal Protection Clause."

Then on December 20, Federal District Judge Robert Shelby struck down both Utah's statutes and an amendment to the Utah Constitution that had been approved by voters in 2004 banning same-sex marriage. Shelby found that the state's "prohibition on same-sex marriage conflicts with the United States Constitution's guarantees of equal protection and due process under the law."

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Shelby also interestingly noted that the lawyers opposing same-sex marriage were making arguments that were "almost identical" to those offered by opponents of interracial marriage in the 1960s -- including that each was a "threat to society." While the decision is on appeal, currently gay couples are free to marry in Utah.

And then on December 23, federal Judge Timothy Black ruled that Ohio public officials must recognize same-sex marriages when issuing death certificates. Consequently, gay couples married legally in other states would have the same rights as straight couples under Ohio law. As Black instructively noted, "The question is presented whether a state can do what the federal government cannot -- i.e., discriminate against same-sex couples ... simply because the majority of the voters don't like homosexuality (or at least didn't in 2004.) Under the Constitution of the United States, the answer is no."

Let's be honest: These court decisions are vastly more important than whether multimillionaire Phil Robertson returns to his reality TV show. And keep in mind, while A&E lifted Robertson's suspension, it also announced it would "use this moment" to air public service announcements "promoting unity, tolerance and acceptance among all people."

And despite what some on the right will tell you, opinion polls are clear that a majority of Americans now support marriage equality. Astoundingly, adults younger than 30 support marriage equality by a whopping 81%. Indeed, the generational divide on this issue couldn't be more apparent than when you compare the views of two self-described rednecks on gays: Phil Robertson versus Honey Boo Boo. While Robertson likened gays to those who commit bestiality, the much younger Honey Boo Boo stated last year: "Ain't nothin' wrong with bein' a little gay. Everybody's a little gay."

The fact that our nation is moving to embrace marriage equality cannot come as a surprise to anyone with a sense of our country's history. We are by our nature a progressive nation -- it's one of the reasons we are an exceptional country. True, It may take a great deal of blood, sweat and tears, but we move forward. We have seen this from the fight for women's right to vote, to ending segregation, to striking down laws that banned interracial marriage.

Until the day marriage equality is recognized, we can expect to see a vibrant, healthy -- and hopefully respectful -- debate on this issue. And that is something we should treasure, because that, too, is one of the reasons our nation is exceptional.